While the summertime is usually dominated by the bustling sounds of children and teenagers laughing, talking and playing throughout its massive wooded confines, Dowagiac’s Crystal Springs Camp and Retreat Center is always open to visitors young and old alike.

In fact, a pair of former campers, now in their 60s, just recently stopped by the venerable campgrounds to reminisce, nearly 50 years removed from when they first stepped foot on the grounds, said Camp Director Dan Stuglik.

Such an occurrence is quite common for Stuglik and other camp staff to witness, as generations of Crystal Spring campers often return to wander the campgrounds, taking in what has changed — and what hasn’t — about the 156-year-old institution, Stuglik said.

“They still get misty eyed thinking about what this camp meant to them,” he said.

This season, the camp — a ministry with the United Methodist Church — is celebrating a monumental milestone as it welcomes youth campers for its 100th year. Throughout the summer, the camp staff will display photographs and documents telling the story of the facility’s youth program, and will offer a special program in the fall for people over the age of 55, in order to give former campers a chance to relive their experiences, Stuglik said.

This week, the camp kicked off its summer camping season, as high school students from across southwest Michigan and beyond came together to learn, play and worship alongside each other during the weeklong camp.

The campgrounds will welcome additional groups of campers, of a variety of age groups, throughout the rest of summer.

While programming differs slightly from session to session, for the most part the campers’ daily routines are the same. Each day begins with a morning service, before the campers are separated into smaller groups, where they participate in a variety of activities, including swimming, cooking, photography and archery.

“There’s constant rotation throughout the day,” Stuglik said. “It’s basically nonstop, especially for the younger campers. Except for mealtimes, we basically don’t stop.”

As to be expected from 100 years of history, the experience at Crystal Springs has made an impact on countless people — including Stuglik himself, who attended the camp as child.

“I really liked the community here at camp,” Stuglik said. “It’s much different from the one you have at school. You can be yourself more here.”

One of the leaders of this week’s high school camp, Lisa Batten, is another member of the staff who attended the camp as a child. On top of now working at the camp, her own child is also a former camper, she said.

“It’s really important for kids to have safe spaces like this, where they’re surrounded by adults who will listen to them and care,” Batten said.